Wearable Airbag Vest Aims to Prevent Injuries

Most people have an airbag in their car, but owning one you can wear is a new innovation that will soon hit shelves.

In&motion came up with the idea initially for skiers. According to their website, the vest detects unavoidable falls and inflates in under 100 milliseconds. The vest will protect the most sensitive areas of your upper body from impact.

Top WC racers have been using the vest for the last two seasons in Alpine and Skicross, but the vest will be in stores this summer thanks to In&motion’s partner Rossignol.

After various tests, it was proven that the vest provides four times greater energy absorption capacity than standard dorsal protection, In&motion reported.

So, how does it work? The system measures the skiers position and movements, and can tell when a user has lost balance. In less than 100 milliseconds, the airbag inflates at optimum pressure for protection. The system can even analyze the data from the skiers fall in order to upgrade detection and offer better protection for the next fall.

The vest was approved by the International Ski Federation in Alpine Skiing and Ski Cross along with National Ski Federations.

“The benefits are obvious for a high impact sport like Skicross. Ever since In&motion presented this idea we have followed them closely so that once the gear is solid we could adapt quickly. I can see numerous benefits in this project, new protection gear developing but also being able to track how injuries occur and why,” Alpine Director of the Swedish Ski Association Tommy Eliasson Winter told In&motion.

Side note: how great is it that the director of a ski associations last name is Winter?

The company is also targeting bikers with their airbag technology that measures rider’s movements in real time. The vest can be worn under any kind of jacket and comes with a certified back-protector.